SpaceX Dragon Mission to the ISS Succeeds

Liftoff

Here's a look at the nighttime liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Dragon spacecraft, from Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Oct. 7.

With the successful delivery of the Dragon spacecraft, atop a Falcon 9 rocket, to the International Space Station (ISS), Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), a private commercial organization, has successfully supplied the ISS with supplies. The crew of the ISS used one of the station’s robotic arms to capture the Dragon spacecraft while in orbit. SpaceX mission CRS-1 marks the first of at least 12 SpaceX missions to the space station under the company's cargo resupply contract with NASA. On board the Dragon spacecraft are materials to support investigations planned for the station's Expedition 33 crew, as well as crew supplies and space station hardware. The spacecraft is designed to return a significant amount of supplies back to Earth. On this mission, Dragon will return with scientific materials and space station hardware. Founded in 2002 to revolutionize space transportation, with the ultimate, if lofty, goal of enabling people to live on other planets, SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. After two weeks attached to the ISS, Dragon is expected to return to Earth on Oct. 28. Here’s a look at the spacecraft and the launch.